Macromedia Dreamweaver v3.0 + Coursebuilder

http://www.macromedia.com/software/dreamweaver/

Platforms: PC, Mac

Price: (CHEST deal)

Dreamweaver version 4: Educational Licence = £34, CD = £41, Manual = £58

Installation problems: None

Description: Long-established Web tool for generating and maintaining websites. Allows direct transfer of files from PC to website.

Strengths: Validates against Netscape and Internet Explorer. Movement of files within site automatically updates links. Templates used to enforce a house style on a site, easing maintenance.

Comments: Already in use in several parts of the campus, users seemed more forgiving towards Dreamweaver's idiosyncratic user interface than with that of the Adobe products. Those new to Dreamweaver thought it would take longer than 2 hours of use to become familiar with the program, and the Help system was criticised for poor indexing. The template system allows a site style to be imposed on new and existing HTML files, making maintenance easier. Coursebuilder is a set of extensions to Dreamweaver which allow the creation of on-screen effects and controls suited to teaching and learning. Implemented in Javascript, they add some functionality to the package that wasn't readily available in the others, although whether they were worth the extra cost is open to discussion.

Now replaced by version 4, with the CourseBuilder elements available as a free download from the Macromedia website